Tag: DeKalb Co. IL

Ed Drake for City Alderman!

My Papa, Ed Drake, took his civic duty very seriously. As a child, I remember that he often served as an election judge, and he felt that it was very important to vote in every single election. I would go with him or my mom when they went to vote, standing just outside the little curtain as they filled out their ballot. When I was old enough to vote myself, he encouraged me to vote in every single election, including local elections.

I later found out that Papa didn’t just serve his local community as an election judge, but he had previously served as city alderman in our small town. He was initially interested in running for Genoa City Council because he wanted to improve his community and serve with honesty and integrity. He was elected to two terms as alderman from 1979 to 1987.

In 1979, he defeated incumbent David Rood by just 12 votes. He was interested in balancing the budget for the city and fought against misuse of public funds. He served as chairman of the public works committee in 1980, and chairman of the finance committee in 1981-1984. In his bid for reelection in 1983, he said that “he would like to continue in public service because during his term he had a good record and the council stayed within the budget. ‘We reduced the general deficit by 47 percent in the last two years.’ […] His experience with city finances and his ongoing involvement in several discussions before the council make him equal or better as a candidate for alderman of the third ward.” (The Daily Chronicle, 7 Apr 1983, p. 2) 

Papa ran for a third term in April 1987. In an interview, he said that “he wanted a third term in office because working on the council was challenging [and] he felt he could take it and go along with anything.” He mentioned that “he is retired and […] he will have lots of time to tend to city business.” (The Daily Chronicle, 25 Jan 1987, p. 2). He was defeated in the April 1987 election by Dale Barcus, who won by 31 votes. In an interview after the election, he stated, “he was glad to have the opportunity to serve the city and had learned a lot during his tenure as alderman.” (The Daily Chronicle, 9 Apr 1987, p. 1) While he didn’t run for public office again, he was proud of the small impact that he was able to make in our community. 

"Candidate Night," Genoa, IL, 1979?
“Candidate Night,” held at the Genoa Park District, on April 12, 1979. From left to right: Beverly Thompson, Robert Parrish, unknown, Robert Larson, Ray Grace, Ed Drake, David Rood (Photo from private family photo collection)

Don’t forget to vote in your local elections!

Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part V): DeKalb County Volunteer Nurse’s Aide Corps

DeKalb County Volunteer Nurse’s Aide Corps

Red Cross volunteer nurses aide poster
Recruiting poster for Volunteer Nurse’s Aides. (Image source: University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries)

Shortly after the start of the war, hospitals nationwide were facing a severe shortage of nurses and nurse’s aides. Many of the highly skilled young nurses were recruited into the military nurses corps, leaving a dire shortage of staff at civilian hospitals. To help fill this need, the American Red Cross worked with the Office of Civilian Defense to train 100,000 volunteers to be nurse’s aides. In DeKalb County, Mrs. Ulla May Schreck and a committee began training Volunteer Nurse’s Aides in June 1942 under the instruction of Elaine Fisher, R.N. Other instructors and coordinators included Nancy L. Hennis, Katherine Kane, Ruth E. Lankton and Bernice E. Schwirtz.  Continue reading “Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part V): DeKalb County Volunteer Nurse’s Aide Corps” →

Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part IV): DeKalb County WASP

DeKalb County WASP unit
Clipping from Daily Chronicle, DeKalb, 12 Sep 1940, p. 2.

The Women’s Ambulance Safety Patrol, or W.A.S.P., should not be confused with the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII. These home front WASPs were prepared to serve their community and country if an emergency ever arose. They were prepared to drive and service ambulances, provide first aid and canteen units, and more. The Women’s Ambulance Safety Patrol was first established by a group of Rockford women in the spring of 1940. This was the first women’s ambulance program in the country. In a letter to Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt in February 1941, Rockford Lt. Mary E. Trosper wrote, “We are preparing fervently for the time when we shall be called upon to defend America. […] These women are put through rigid courses of training in first-aid, military drilling, auto mechanics, convoy transportation and in some units, the use of firearms. Our ultimate aim is to interest every able-bodied woman to prepare systematically for the defense of America in the homes, in the schools and in industries. Who can foresee what tasks will fall the lot of American women in the coming year? Whatever they be, the Women’s Ambulance Safety Patrol will be adequately prepared to fit snugly in the great wheel of National Defense and will cooperate to the utmost in the organization and training of American women for American defense.”  Continue reading “Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part IV): DeKalb County WASP” →

Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part III): DeKalb County Cadet Nurses

The United States and the world is currently facing a pandemic like we’ve never seen before. Some have said that society has not been unified under a single cause like this since WWII. So today, thank and support healthcare workers who are on the front lines of this epidemic. Then, remember the nurses, doctors, and nurses’ aides who also served in crucial roles during WWII.

To read the previous post about DeKalb County women during WWII, please click here.

Continue reading “Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part III): DeKalb County Cadet Nurses” →

Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part II): DeKalb County women on the home front

This is part II of an ongoing series to honor women from DeKalb County, Illinois who served during WWII. This part of the series will focus on the efforts of women on the home front. In the next few posts, I will highlight several local women-led organizations that supported the war effort and the community during WWII, including the American Red Cross, the Women’s Ambulance Safety Patrol, the Cadet Nursing Corps, and the Volunteer Nurses’ Aide Corps. 

During WWII, huge efforts and sacrifices on the home front contributed to American victory. Women in particular contributed to the war effort in unprecedented ways. For the first time, women became enlisted members of the U.S. military, and the almost 150 DeKalb County women veterans were honored in part one of this honor roll. On the home front, there were scores more who filled war jobs in local factories, joined local organizations, donated blood, organized fundraisers and scrap drives, knitted clothing and wrapped surgical dressings, planted victory gardens, worked on local farms, and more. Women adapted to rationing by carpooling, walking, canning homegrown produce, and going without new stockings, shoes, and kitchen wares. Continue reading “Hidden Heroes of WWII (Part II): DeKalb County women on the home front” →